Born Free’s adopted lion saved from snare in Kenya
In a dramatic rescue operation, and thanks to a big team effort, a young lion has been safely rescued from a deadly wire noose, in our charity’s homeland of Meru National Park.
The young male, before his snare was removed
The well-being of every lion matters to Born Free, so our species monitoring team leapt into action after receiving an urgent call from tour guides at Elewana Elsa’s Kopje, in Meru National Park, earlier this month. A young male lion from Elsa’s Pride, our charity’s adopted family of lions, had been spotted with a snare caught around his neck.
There was no time to lose. The deadly wire noose – set illegally by poachers to catch wildlife for ‘bushmeat’ – was likely to cause terrible injuries and could lead to a lingering painful death. So our team immediately responded and drove to the area, discovering a group of three lions, one adult lioness and two young males, one of whom had the snare around his neck.
We contacted the Kenya Wildlife Service and quickly made arrangements for their area veterinarian to attend to the lion. However, by the time their team arrived, the lions had moved away from the area, in search of shade from the intense heat.
A joint effort was then launched to locate the lions, working with our colleagues at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, as well as the Kenya Wildlife Service. The lions were located again, but frustratingly it was not possible to dart the male, as they were in an inaccessible area.
At the end of the day, the teams held a briefing and agreed to continue the search early the following morning. At around 4am the next day, the joint team reassembled, and carried on the search. But despite their every effort, no lions were seen, though fresh lion tracks were found, confirming they were still moving through the area.
The search continued over the following days, with the teams remaining determined to locate the snared lion and provide the urgent help he needed. Thankfully, on the fourth day of searching, the combined teams’ persistence and dedication finally paid off. The young male lion was at last located, gently darted, the snare successfully removed, and the area treated.
This successful rescue shows just how vital our lion monitoring work is, and how our supporters can play a vital role in protecting wild animals.
If you love lions and want to support our work to protect them in the wild, you can adopt Elsa’s Pride today, using the link below.